History YMMV / StayTuned

* FunnyAneurysmMoment:

* HarsherInHindsight: Roy [[spoiler: getting shot at by Spike (in the ''chest'', no less)]] in the climax becomes this in light of John Ritter's death in 2003.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Despite being presented as a decent guy who's simply down-on-his-luck and watches TV as a coping mechanism, some feel Roy comes off as a jerk who is deliberately shutting his loved ones out of his life. As Nathan Rabin, the writer of the Rotten Tomatoes editorial puts it:
-->'''Nathan Rabin:''' Roy isn’t a fragile dreamer who hides from the world inside a comforting cocoon of television. He's just an insensitive schmuck who watches TV because he's got nothing else going on.

* UnintentionalPeriodPiece:
** The HTV segment is only the most blatant example. Combined with some severe TechnologyMarchesOn... remember when a satellite dish the size of a hot tub and a remote control the size of a bar of cooking chocolate were the bleeding edge? ... No? Darn whippersnappers.
** The TV that Roy gets from Hell Vision is considered huge in the film, and it was considered huge at the time. Now compare it to what you have standing in your living-room today.

* SpiritualAdaptation: This film gives off a vibe that it was produced by Creator/StevenSpielberg, even though it wasn't, with the animated segment directed by Creator/ChuckJones echoing Spielberg's collaborations with Tom Ruegger on ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' (whose theme and episodes' music was done by Bruce Broughton, who also scored music for this feature), ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}''. It's probably further helped by the fact the film's director Creator/PeterHyams actually worked with Spielberg before when he directed an episode titled "The Amazing Falsworth" for Spielberg's show ''Series/AmazingStories''. In this vein, it feels a lot like another Spielberg movie, ''Film/{{Gremlins}}'', which was also a BlackComedy like this film.

* JustHereForGodzilla: Some folks mainly watch this film for the Creator/ChuckJones animated sequence, which was his last work.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The movie could be taken as "Cable / Satellite TV is worse than the 'Big 4'", or that Television in general is the work of the devil. Probably meant to be {{an Aesop}}.

* VindicatedByCable: Thanks again, Creator/{{HBO}}.

** During the end credits, one of the TV show titles is a parody of ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'', called ''David Dukes of Hazzard''.[[note]]For those not in the know, David Duke is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke a politician, white supremacist, and former member of the Ku Klux Klan]].[[/note]] With the Confederate flag now far more controversial than it was in TheNineties, this title takes on a whole new meaning. However, Dukes was shot down as a Presidential candidate precisely because of his KKK background, so it was intentional.

** This film wouldn't be the last time Creator/JeffreyJones portrays a character who works for the Devil, as he would [[Film/TheDevilsAdvocate do it again five years later.]]

* JustHereForGodzilla: Some folks mainly watch this film for the Creator/ChuckJones animated sequence.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Despite being presented as a decent guy who's simply down-on-his-luck and watches TV as a coping mechanism, some feel Roy comes off as a jerk whose deliberately shutting his loved ones out of his life. As Nathan Rabin, the writer of the Rotten Tomatoes editorial puts it:

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: Some of the more critical reviews of this film, particularly this [[https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/why-stay-tuned-is-a-dated-artifact-of-1990s-comedy-done-wrong/ editorial of it]] on Website/RottenTomatoes criticizes it for squandering its potential as a satire.
** Creator/PamDawber is one of the leads, yet there's no spoof of Series/MorkAndMindy
* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Despite being presented as a decent guy whose simply down-on-his-luck and watches TV as a coping mechanism, some feel Roy comes off as a jerk whose deliberately shutting his loved ones out of his life. As Nathan Rabin, the writer of the Rotten Tomatoes editorial puts it:

** When the movie was released, the TV parodies were hilariously graphic and disturbing for its time. Fast-forward to now and watch some of the late night programming on [[WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce Cartoon]] [[WesternAnimation/RobotChicken Network]] or [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark Comedy]] [[WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether Central]], or anything on Creator/{{HBO}}, Creator/{{Showtime}}, Creator/{{AMC}}, Creator/{{FX}}, or Creator/{{Netflix}}... and the TV parodies actually look pretty tame in comparison, given that the film is only rated PG.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: When Darryl is about to be sucked into the dish, a pair of hands can be seen lifting him up in the air.

* NightmareFuel: Some of the scenarios Roy and Helen get into can creep into this.

* SignatureScene: Arguably, the animated segment. To the point ven more critical reviews of this movie consider this scene to be the best part of the whole movie. Having Creator/ChuckJones involved certainly doesn't hurt it.

* FridgeBrilliance: Helen telling Diane "No boys" before she goes away for the night might seem a little random...until you remember that earlier in the film, Darryl revealed in his "special report" that he recorded her making out with her boyfriend. And seeing that Helen saw the "report" herself that morning, it's likely that she's telling Diane not to pull that again.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: During the end credits, one of the TV show titles is a parody of ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'', called ''David Dukes of Hazzard''.[[note]]For those not in the know, David Duke is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke a politician, white supremacist, and former member of the Ku Klux Klan]].[[/note]] With the Confederate flag now far more controversial than it was in TheNineties, this title takes on a whole new meaning. However, Dukes was shot down as a Presidential candidate precisely because of his KKK background, so it was intentional.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: During the end credits, one of the TV show titles is a parody of ''Series/TheDukesOfHazzard'', called ''Creator/{{David Duke}}s of Hazzard''.[[note]]For those not in the know, David Duke is [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke a politician, white supremacist, and former member of the Ku Klux Klan]].[[/note]] With the Confederate flag now far more controversial than it was in TheNineties, this title takes on a whole new meaning. However, Dukes was shot down as a Presidential candidate precisely because of his KKK background, so it was intentional.